The Missing Page #3

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- Lilly!

- Lilly Gilkeson.

- You know this Indian?

- He's no Indian.

- Damn well looks Indian to me.

No, he's a...

That's my father.

I've been hoping we'd find you, sir.

We need your help.

We tracked my daughter

south from Chloride.

They're heading toward Mexico.

Near as we can figure...

...they've hit six or seven homesteads

so far, including this one.

Army should've killed the heathens

when they had a chance.

They are Army, ma'am. Deserters.

Why, I thought they were Apache.

Apache scouts.

Formerly on Uncle Sam's payroll.

Like Happy Jim here.

- We use them to hunt other Apaches.

- The Indians were American soldiers?

Then a couple of months ago,

some of them turned...

...shot some white officers and jumped

the reservation in San Carlos.

The 4th Cavalry started all this

by hanging their chief.

Don't know what they were thinking.

What makes you think

they were thinking?

This whole territory's

gone topsy-turvy.

You got Indians running with whites,

whites running with Indians.

Get those prisoners moving!

Come on, squaw man.

Get on the way here.

Happy Jim.

You think because you're

wearing that coat

they won't put you on the prison train

to Florida with chains on your legs?

I don't know of Florida.

It's a real swell sh*t-hole of a swamp.

You'll see.

White man, you don't look like

someone who gives good advice.

Break it up!

What's going on here?

I said, break it up.

- I found it first, lieutenant.

- Lying bastard!

Looks like God intended

you two to share.

Any man found looting...

...will have the value of their property

deducted from his pay.

They're enlisted men.

- Post two men over there.

- I'm going to camp down by the river.

If I stay here long, I might misbehave.

- Right over there.

Somebody might have to kill me.

Lieutenant?

I imagine you plan to ride first thing.

Would it be all right if my daughter

and I rode along with you?

Naturally, I'm quite concerned.

Ma'am, capturing those renegades

is the Army's highest priority.

- Yes, of course.

- Butcher a couple goats for supper!

- And I'm grateful.

- But that's the assignment of the 4th.

But the 4th is going

in the wrong direction.

I assure you, they'll be redirected

as soon as we reach Fort Stanton.

Stanton's three days away.

My daughter will be in Mexico by then.

I grieve for your situation, I truly do.

But my assignment is to return these

hostiles in my capture to Stanton...

...for their prompt

and immediate deportation.

- You like fish?

- Go water the horses.

- I watered them back at the...

- I'm not asking.

Don't make them too raw, please.

Very well, ma'am.

Lilly, she's...

...not the same as Dot.

She's not strong.

She gets hurt so easy.

Sage?

- What?

- For the fish.

I know I asked you

to get us to the Army...

I asked you if you wanted

some sage put on your fish.

Yeah. All right.

None for Dot.

We'll ride at first light in the morning.

If we can catch up to them, I might

have enough money to buy her back.

If they make it to Mexico...

...your child is lost.

Hey, that stuff will make you sick,

but I like it.

No, no, no, no. Whoa. That flash

behind her head bother you? It's just...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

There's no magic.

It's an optical defect. A flaw.

A flaw. Flaw.

Wait, wait. Hey, wait.

Look at these.

Look at these. See?

I know where all the prettiest girls

live, from Arizona to Texas.

You pick the ones you want,

and I'll take you right to them. Look!

All the pretty girls, see? All of them!

I'll take you... Look!

Take your bad luck to your grave.

What was that?

What did you just do?

I'll get it done.

Who of you can skin a deer?

Hey! Who of you can skin a deer?

Me. I can.

All right. Gotta gut her.

I can't see.

What is happening to me?

Somebody tell me.

What is happening?

I can't see. I can't see. Please!

Where's clubfoot going? I thought we

was dropping back down into Mexico.

Seven's an unlucky number for him.

He wants eight girls. We go now.

Sh*t!

Here.

Fill the packs with meat.

I gotta take Sally.

No, I gotta take my little girl.

No! She just needs water.

She's fine.

Shut up. She's dead now, mama.

- She's my baby.

- Shut up.

No!

No! No! No!

No, no, no, no.

No!

Get up!

Get up!

Get up!

Trying to make a fool of me.

It's gonna be all right.

I think my feet grew two sizes today.

Try these.

- They're beautiful.

- They were my wife's.

My grandmother?

No.

Mama!

- Mama!

- Dot?

You all right?

You get bit?

Did those snakes bite you?

No.

Mama, a dead man's in there.

Don't worry about that child.

Go on now.

Mama, look at his eyes.

- What happened to him?

- He lost control of his wagon.

Maybe he had a heart seizure.

He didn't have a heart seizure.

His heart's in that hole.

What's behind her head?

- Some people would think it's a sign.

- A good sign or bad sign?

It wasn't a very good sign for him.

Come here.

- What are you doing?

- These are for protection.

The man who did this is a brujo.

- A what?

- It's a witch.

You need to wear one too.

You can believe in your witchcraft

and your impiety all you want.

I believe in what I've seen, girl.

Snakes belong on the ground.

This one hangs them in the air.

A man's heart holds his spirit. This

one digs it out and throws it in the dirt.

Don't you start this.

I know a brujo who'd put an arrow

in you a mile away.

I know a brujo who laid his hand

on a child one time. One time.

The child cramped up, fell down

and spit up bees till she died.

- You stop this. You're scaring her.

- She needs to be scared. So do you.

Mama, please. Please.

Just on her.

We gotta get through that canyon

before the storm hits.

You go on and I'll follow.

Give me some of the medical stuff

they stole, the laudanum.

You like that stuff.

You know, I drink enough

of this stuff, I swear...

...you start to look good to me.

- Hey.

They give this to my grandma

when she was fixing to croak.

Mama!

Mama!

I'll get her!

Get those horses to higher ground!

I've got her!

Dot, you hold on to me!

My foot's caught!

Hold your breath! Right now!

Gotta piss.

Sit up.

I can get us out of here.

- Do you hear that?

- You mustn't speak.

My baby's calling me.

No. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

Your baby's passed on.

No. That's just how she sleeps.

There's nothing you can do,

so please just...

There, there. My baby.

Here. Watch out while I get

the horses.

Hey. Just going to get

those berries I promised you.

Don't wander off.

Lord, forgive me.

Stop squirming.

- Goddamn you!

- Give her to me.

- Get up!

- No!

- I got her.

- No!

- Tie her legs!

- Shut up!

Shut up!

Why?

Now we're gonna be back to seven,

and seven's an unlucky number.

Whore! Stop!

Thank you.

Crawl.

You're better than them,

but you're not better than me.

Can she have the moccasins now?

Yeah.

Can I just..?

I'm glad you were here.

I was bitten by a rattlesnake.

What?

A good shaman gave me

two amulets.

Told me not to eat

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